I was dreamin’ when I wrote this
Forgive me if it goes astray
But when I woke up this morning
I coulda sworn it was judgment day
The sky was all purple
There were people runnin’ everywhere
Tryin’ to run from my destruction
You know I didn’t even care
Say, say 2000-00 party over
Oops, out of time
So tonight I’m gonna party like it’s 1999
1999 – Prince
Released in 1982, 1999 didn’t get much of a following until it was re-released in 1985 along with Little Red Corvette. When I first heard this song in 1985, I thought it was a fun song but didn’t really think about the actual year of 1999. I’m sure Prince didn’t either.
That came in 1998 when the Y2K bug threatened to end life as we knew it. As the clocks got closer to the year 2000, experts warned that computer systems could not process a four-digit date and that the date not changing would impact anything involving computers, or anything with a computer chip for that matter. Thankfully I was out of the Navy by then. My last job was in I.T. and I could only imagine how the powers that be in my last command would have handled the issue.
People talked of the danger of “embedded chips” which could not be changed. Some began stockpiling food, water, ammunition, and cash. Each evening, the network news channels reminded us of how close we were to 1999 and how much needed to be done.
New Year’s Eve, 1999, I turned on the TV as the celebrations began overseas in Singapore and Australia. I didn’t know what to expect. I figured if all hell was breaking loose there, I’d have enough time to head for the hills here.
The world waited with anxious anticipation. And then, at midnight….
Nothing happened.
Well, there were fireworks, champagne, and celebrations. People cheered the new year AND the fact we were all safe. Another crisis was averted.
I was reminded of this today as I was going through some old podcast episodes from 2020-2021. In my voice and those of my guests, I could clearly hear the anxiety. The anticipation. The pain of living in so many unknowns. I remembered wondering if my business would survive. If I would survive.
But like so many other challenging times, most of us managed to get through it. What was once uncertainty was met with facts. The danger and fear are still here with COVID, but knowledge is power.
This week, think back on which events in your life seemed hopeless and ominous. Identify what ACTUALLY happened vs. what you THOUGHT WOULD happen. That might be your formula for getting through the next crisis. Which I’m sure won’t be the last.